Family missed deadline to sue hospital over deceased inmate’s organ harvesting, state supreme court says
Charles Singleton, 74, died while in prison in 2021. An autopsy was performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, and the body was later taken to a funeral home, where the discovery of Singleton’s missing brain and organs was made. (Photo from Shutterstock)
After the family of a deceased incarcerated man filed a lawsuit alleging that his brain and organs were harvested during a hospital autopsy, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the case was filed too late and dismissed most of its claims.
Charles Singleton, 74, died while in prison in 2021. An autopsy was performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, and the body was later taken to a funeral home, where the discovery of Singleton’s missing brain and organs was made, according to coverage by Legal Newsline.
In April 2024, his wife, Darlene Singleton, sued the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, alleging that the family was given the runaround and arguing that their “conversion” claim applied—withholding of a person’s personal property for six years—regarding Singleton’s organs.
On Jan. 30, the state supreme court ruled that a two-year statute of limitations had expired and dismissed all claims except one made under the Alabama Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
Similar suits alleging that other prisoners had died and that their organs had been removed have been filed, according to MSN.com.
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